Students put best song forward to land seat at prestigious college

Musicians audition at Stax Academy for Berklee College

Jillian Burke, 20, of St. Louis practices her cello performance before an interview and audition for Berklee College of Music in Boston held at Stax Academy Saturday. The college conducts interviews in North America, Africa, Europe, Australia, Asia and Latin America.

Representatives from Berklee, in Boston, are in Memphis to assess the talents of students hoping to capture a spot at the acclaimed school for contemporary music.

Singer Joshua Buck, 17, a senior at Whitehaven High School, laughed at comparisons to "American Idol" instant fame and what he hopes to learn at Berklee.

"The main thing for me is that I'm a songwriter," Joshua said. "And I want to learn the business side so I can control what I do. I want to be able to do it all."

That's what Berklee, with 4,000 students, offers.

It was founded in 1945 to teach contemporary music -- jazz back then -- along with career preparation for working musicians.

The school transitioned, becoming a full, four-year college, adding rock and roll and hip-hop to its curriculum, along with music business management.

Graduates include Branford Marsalis and Melissa Etheridge.

The audition includes performing a prepared piece, sight-reading and an interview, said Latoya Gordon, assistant director of admissions.

"To get into Berklee you need to be at a certain level to survive in class," Gordon said. In the interview they try to learn if the prospect and Berklee are a good fit.

"We're looking for background information to determine a student's passion, to see how hungry they are," said J. Curtis Warner Jr., associate vice president of education outreach and executive director of Berklee City Music.

The auditions are held across North America, Africa, Asia Europe, Australia and Latin America.

For drummer, Jelani Jackson, 17, from Columbus, Ga., it was like a jam session.

"It was fun. They started quizzing me on different rhythms to see how much I knew. I had fun," said Jelani, who sings, plays piano and guitar and wrote and produced three CDs, the first at age 11.

"I was looking forward to this for so long, it's hard to believe it's over," said cellist Jillian Burke, 20, of St. Louis after her 35-minute audition and interview.

"Everything went well," said drummer, Adam Clayton, 17, a senior at Tupelo (Miss.) High School. "I feel good about it. I hope they do, too."

Students who are accepted for the summer semester will be notified in March, while those earning spots for the fall semester will get the word in April.